Lonely Souls Radio
by LitLover 101
Summary: AU/AH Klaus Mikaelson is a radio jockey with a secret. No matter how many people he talks to on the radio and no matter how many ladies share his bed, he's as lonely as those poor losers who call him. All of that changes when he gets a call from a new lonely soul, Miss Caroline Forbes. Happy Klaroweek!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries TV show. That honor goes to Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson.**

 **Hello, my lovely readers. It's been a little while since I've posted anything and this will probably be a short story for Klaroweek. I have no idea what the prompts were but I had this image in my mind of Klaus working in a radio station and here we are. On with the show…**

Chapter 1: Bit of Friendly Advice

Spinning in his chair, Klaus tried to think of what his life would be like if he worked for one of the larger radio stations, not this sad, little hole in the wall that had a vending machine that you had to kick to make work half the time. Yes, that would be lovely. Or maybe he could get a few less calls from people complaining about their pitiful love lives, (read lack thereof), or their crappy friends/family. If only.

"Mikaelson, what the _hell_ are you _doing_ in there?" the bane of Klaus' life called from the other side of the window. Damon Salvatore glared at him, his eyes icier than usual. Of course the man probably had a date and wanted to leave early. Flipping his boss off, Klaus turned his back on a furious Damon. "One of these days, Klaus, one of these days." Damon warned before disappearing.

"One of these days I'm going to sic one of these poor, desperate women who call my program on you and you'll eat your words," Klaus growled under his breath.

Picking up his head phones, he hit a button randomly, waiting for the first sad sack to begin whining into his ear. "Hello, caller, this is Klaus Mikaelson from the Lonely Souls program for people who lived through the stunningly, horrifying musical choices of our previous jockey of the day, Marcellus Gerard. Everyone, give Marcel a hand." Klaus began to clap and caught sight of Marcel coming toward the room with a candy bar in hand. From the look on his friend's face, Klaus was sure he heard the joke, and was not amused. "Hold that thought."

Ripping the headphones off his head, Klaus locked the door so that Marcel could not get to him and waved at him with a wide smile. That was for going out with his baby sister. Prick. Sitting back down, Klaus ignored the sounds of Marcel trying to tear the door off its hinges. "Sorry about that, caller, my colleague and I are having artistic differences. What was it that you were saying?"

"I _didn't_ ," a female voice said and Klaus could not detect sadness, rather he detected annoyance.

Sitting up in his seat, he smirked. It looked as if this one might be entertaining for once. "I'm sorry, love. I'm all ears _now_."

"From the looks of the billboard I saw with your smug face plastered on it, I would say you're _all_ ears _all_ the time," the girl quipped and Klaus heard Marcel guffaw from the other side of the door.

"There's a _billboard_? Really? No one told me," Klaus replied slowly with a smile.

"I don't know how you could miss it. I certainly can't seem to get that _eyesore_ out of my mind's eye," the girl snorted and Klaus wondered if this was one of the women he'd taken home and never bothered to call again.

"Sweetheart, have we met before?" Klaus asked curiously.

"No," she informed him in a crisp tone.

"O-kay, but it sounds as if you have a bone to pick with me, if you don't mind my saying so." Klaus waited for her scathing retort and he was not disappointed.

"You're supposed to give people advice but your horr-ib-le about it," the voice told Klaus and he blinked.

"How so?" Klaus asked.

"Because you told that one girl that if her boyfriend was cheating on her it was probably because she was boring or bad in bed just yesterday." The girl accused and Klaus tried and failed to recall that call. "Now, if it were _me_ , I would have said that she should have confronted her boyfriend. If he acted evasive, or was too quick to answer then he probably was cheating. And even if he wasn't, since she felt that he might be, that would be a cue that it was time to move on."

"Well, caller, it sounds like you have some experience in the cheating boyfriend department. Is there _anything_ that _you_ would like to talk about?" Klaus was baiting the girl. He was certain that she would lose it and curse him before hanging up. Maybe she would call again tomorrow. He hoped that she would. It had been some time since he had genuinely enjoyed this job.

"Ummm… that is _not_ your business," the voice said quietly.

"Aw, and now I have hurt your feelings. I am _truly_ sorry, love, what can I do to make it up to you?" Klaus asked in his most seductive tone.

"Stop calling me _love_ , and, _no_ , I have _never_ had a boyfriend cheat on me. . . to the best of my knowledge," the girl added the last part after a brief pause.

"To the _best_ of her knowledge she says. Now, that is _sad_. You _didn't_ take your own advice, now _did_ you, sweetheart," Klaus teased, propping his head up with his hand.

"I'm not your _sweetheart_ , either. And I bet that with the way you treat people that you've been cheated on," the voice shot back.

Pausing, Klaus lowered his voice. "Yes, as a matter-of-fact, I have been cheated on, and it is a horrible feeling that I would not wish on anyone."

"Did she break your heart? Is that why you're lonely, Klaus?" she asked and Klaus closed his eyes and tried to imagine what this girl looked like.

"Yes, and no. I thought that I loved her, but I did not. I don't think I've ever been in love," he stated slowly.

" _Really_? _Never_?" the girl's voice was slightly breathless now.

"Not _ever_ ," Klaus replied. "How about you, _love_?"

" _Me_?" she hesitated. "Once or thirty times. I tend to fall for guys who like _other_ women. You know, always someone's second, or third pick… Hey, you never answered my question about being lonely," she snapped and Klaus shook his head. She was not going to give him any way out on a single question.

"Yes, I am lonely. Now, back to _you_. Why is it that you pick on guys that like other women, pray tell… _love_?" Klaus was enjoying needling this girl.

"I don't know. And _what_ is it that I said about calling me _love_?" the voice sounded annoyed but he could detect a smile on the other side of the line, maybe a touch of flirtation.

"Well, _love_ , you have yet to offer a name," Klaus retorted with a chuckle.

"Caroline. My name is Caroline," Caroline told him and Klaus repeated the name, savoring it and storing it away for further use.

" _Caroline_ , I would love to continue this chat, but it seems that you have run _completely_ out of time. On behalf of the _other_ callers, _thank_ _you_ for hogging up the line. I do so hope to hear from you _again_ soon. And don't worry, _love_ , I'm sure that you'll find someone who fancies you above all others. Until then, you will have _me_ who will fancy you from afar. Night, _love_ ," Klaus pressed the button before Caroline could reply.

Sitting back in his seat, Klaus looked at the panel and chose a favorite of his by Louise Cottrell and got up. Unlocking the door, he tried to ignore Marcel's look of shock. "Are you in the mood for a drink?" Klaus asked his sometimes best friend/protégé/bane of his existence when he was chasing after his baby sister.

"Am I _ever_ ," Marcel joked. "What was _that_?" he asked as they headed out of the station and into a humid day in the fine city of New Orleans.

"What was _what_?" Klaus mimicked his tone with a smirk.

" _That_. Back there. With the woman who called in. You weren't a total ass. You sounded almost like a human. Almost. Dare I say you like her from one, _little_ conversation?" Marcel continued with a wide grin that made Klaus want to punch him in those shiny teeth of his.

"Are you high?" Klaus snapped. "I barely know her. I have _never_ seen her face. Besides I've been working on our infamous bartender for a month now. Can't let that hard work go to waste, now can I?"

"No, that wouldn't be like you, my man. On the other hand telling some woman you've never seen before that you 'fancy' her on-air isn't you, either. Got a fever?" Marcel reached out to touch Klaus' head when Klaus shoved him away.

Marcel began to laugh. "Uh huh. You've got it _bad_ for a girl you're never going to speak to in person. That's rich."

"For that, you can pay for our drinks," Klaus grumbled as they entered Rousseau's. Looking at the smiling face of Cami O'Connell, all Klaus could think of was another blonde. He was not sure why he thought she would be blonde, but he was positive she was. And blue eyed. And she had a razor sharp tongue. And if Klaus ever met her he would show her what it was like to be with a man who only wanted her.

 **TBC**

 **Thank you to all of you wonderful readers who fav, follow, review and read this work.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. Okay, so this chapter turned out to a little angstier than I expected it to be. I hope that you like it anyway. There's some TO oriented material in here. You've been warned. On with the show…**

Chapter 2: You're in My Head

Klaus was exhausted when his doorbell began to chime at 6 a.m. He titled his head backward to see the clock on the nightstand. It was flashing red at his blurry eyes. ' _Who_ in the bloody hell would have the nerve to wake him at this hour?' he was thinking moodily as he grabbed a pair of pants and yanked them on. Flicking on the radio, he bobbed his head on the way to the door. Hitting the intercom, he yelled. "What d'ya want?"

"KLAUS! Open the damned door!" An even moodier voice yelled back and Klaus shut his eyes tightly, covering them with his hand and running it up through his hair, then back over his stubble. She was the last person on the face of the earth he was in the mood to talk to.

The bell chimed again. "Just give me a moment to dress!" Klaus shouted into the intercom. Trudging back into his bedroom, he found a shirt and pulled it over his head, grumbling all the while about lousy one night stands coming back to haunt him.

By the time Klaus got back to the intercom, he found that someone was pounding on his door. 'Did she _not_ realize that he had neighbors?' he wondered with a grunt, flicking the lock and twisting the knob to sneer at Hayley Marshall, who sneered back.

"God, Klaus, you have to take care of her for two WHOLE days out of your BUSY week, and you can't answer the door like everyone else!" Hayley snapped, shouldering her way past him as Hope sucked on her pacifier furiously, watching her parents argue with tears in her eyes. "Just one! One damned day, I ask you to, please, take her early so I can get to this interview, on time. Seriously, Klaus!" she continued to fume while placing Hope in a highchair.

Klaus stood in the doorway, waiting for Hayley to simply kiss the baby good-bye and to take her leave. No, she always had to put on a spectacle. It was not as if they had long history of loving each other profoundly, and then brutally breaking the other's heart. No, they were the two fools who hooked up at a friend of a friend's party and had a _wonderful_ baby as a result as well as being tied to each other for the next _eighteen_ _years_.

Rolling his eyes, Klaus thought about how many times a week he suggested to his devoted fans to "always use a condom." Smirking at the thought, he only looked up when he found that Hayley was glaring at him with one hand on her hip. " _Yes_?" he said mildly.

"I brought the _tape_ ," Hayley snapped, walking across the room, and thrusting it into his chest. "You can thank _Jack_ later," she said on her way out the door.

Narrowing his eyes, Klaus forced a tight smile. "I can think of _several_ ways I would like to thank your husband for his _continued_ efforts to _undermine_ me as a parent."

Spinning on her heel, Hayley moved so that she was directly in Klaus' face. "You know, you should appreciate what Jack does. He doesn't have to record your _stupid_ programs because Hope likes to hear her daddy _insult_ people. And he _doesn't_ undermine you. He just wants to be a _good_ co-parent."

"Then maybe he should consider making a child of his _own_ ," Klaus snarled. He was about to slam the door in Hayley's face when she placed her foot in the jamb.

" _Move_ it or _lose_ it, sweetheart," Klaus growled.

"You know, maybe if you were a _little_ bit nicer to people, you wouldn't _destroy_ _every_ good thing in your life. That's why I feel sorry for that _Caroline_ girl. If she had a brain, she would run from the big, bad wolf." Smirking back at Klaus, Hayley shouldered her bag and turned to run down the stairs.

Exiting the flat, Klaus came to stand at the top of the stairs. "By the way," he shouted after her. "Elijah's got a _date_ tonight."

Hayley looked up at Klaus, her jaw tightening before she shook her head and ran out the door. Smiling to himself, Klaus re-entered his apartment to find his little princess had spit out her pacifier and was sobbing hysterically. "Oh, there, there, my _darling_ girl," Klaus called, coming to her aid. Releasing the child from her chair, he tucked her into his arms while eyeing the tape in his hand. "Would you like to hear daddy and the pretty woman he was talking to yesterday?"

Hope shoved her finger into her mouth and stared at her father with a look that reminded him of her mother. "Right," he said. "How about a little walk around the flat first? We'll ease ourselves into listening to my program. It's very important to check one's art, it gives us some idea of what we're doing that works."

Klaus only had to rock the child for a good thirty minutes before she was drooling all over him like a drunken _bird_. Patting his baby's back gently, Klaus went over to his tape player and popped the new chat in. Hearing the sound of Caroline's voice again made him smile. She did have a remarkable set of lungs. She could go from shrill to quiet as his little lamb. Glancing at the babe, he watched her nuzzle into his neck.

If only he could find Miss Caroline. Perhaps someone he knew, knew her. Or he could have a bit of an on-air contest. The first listener to identify this woman would get some sort of prize. On the other hand, Klaus was not sure that he wanted to do that. What if some other block happened to meet this beauty and sweep her off her feet? No, that would not happen. She was his. Or she would be once they met in person.

"Tell daddy how to find a woman in a city ripe with them, hmmm?" Klaus muttered into the baby's ear who only gurgled contentedly in her sleep. "Bother," Klaus groaned, setting the tape to the beginning, he tried to decide where it was that Miss Caroline was from. America. That one he was sure of. But where in America. And why had she chosen to come to NOLA. For a girl like her there had to be limitless opportunities. All Klaus knew was that he was not going to find the answers by playing her tape over and over again.

Getting up, Klaus walked to the kitchen to find something suitable to eat. He found absolutely _nothing_. Taking out a carton out of milk, he took a tentative sniff. Wrinkling his nose when it was assaulted by a smell worse that Kol's sneakers after he had jogged five miles, Klaus tossed the milk down the sink. "Looks like we need to go to the store, love," he whispered to Hope who turned her head away from him. "I know, I don't want to deal with those incompetent clerks either."

The store that Klaus frequented the most often was only five blocks away. He could walk. Running his hand through his hair, he gave himself a quick check in the mirror. Definitely not date night material, but who would he meet in the check-out aisle anyway? Finding his sunglasses beneath a magazine, he was out the door. On the way to the store, he noticed and was noticed by several women, but none of them was a blonde much to his disappointment.

Entering the store through the automatic doors, Klaus strode through the aisles lazily with a basket. A bottle of milk. A box of cereal. Maybe something with sugar in it. He never knew when Kol would come to crash on his couch and he always whined until his big brother went out to get him some. Adjusting Hope on his hip, his ears pricked when he heard the faint sound of a familiar voice. His head whirled, but he did not see the person the voice belonged to. But she was here. He was sure of it. Where though? Klaus began to stalk down the aisle as Hope grabbed a hand full of his hair.

"Hope, not right now," Klaus moaned as his child tried to force his head to turn toward her. He had to see if he was going insane.

"No, I do not buy nail polish here!" the voice said loud enough for Klaus to be sure that it was her. Then there was a peal of laughter. "No!" she continued.

Coming to the end of the aisle, Klaus saw her. She was everything he had expected. Blonde, blue eyed, bubbly and tall. She had the loveliest legs beneath a blue, mini shirt that hugged her arse.

Smirking to himself, Klaus was about to move toward her when he noticed that she was not alone. She was with a man. And not just _any_ man. A man that Klaus was _very_ familiar with. Jackson. Bloody. Kenner. He was holding up a bottle of what Klaus supposed was nail polish toward the grinning blonde. "No!" Caroline giggled.

Klaus gritted his teeth. 'Perhaps they were friends,' he thought sourly when Jackson's eyes moved to Caroline's rear. No, that was _not_ friendship that the step-father of his child had on his mind. Bloody hell. Klaus had _never_ trusted the man, not since the first time that Hayley had introduced the two and Jackson had been too friendly, too easy going and too ready to let things go.

Klaus emitted a growl when he saw Jackson slide an arm around Caroline's slim waist and lean in for a kiss. That was it. He was going to confront the two when they turned away and headed to the check out. Hope took that opportunity to slap Klaus in the face. Whirling his head around, Klaus glared at his daughter. "Do not hit me!" he snarled and Hope wailed, loudly. Sighing, he put the basket down and began to bounce her, gently, up and down.

By the time that Klaus turned to confront the cheating dick that was Hayley's soon to be _ex-husband_ if Klaus had anything to do with it, he found they were long gone. Bloody hell. Klaus checked out and carried his groceries back to his flat. Placing Hope back in her seat, Klaus made himself a bowl of cereal and angrily crunched as he played the tape once more. Now, he had another reason to despise Jackson. He had bloody well made this tape knowing that the woman that he was cheating with was also the one that Klaus had become smitten with from _one_ conversation.

Reflecting on his role in preventing his brother, Elijah, and Hayley from riding off into the bloody cliché sunset, Klaus cursed himself. He had not wanted to have to sit through countless family dinners with the woman. He had not wanted to have to deal with her and Elijah shoving their bliss down his throat, knowing full well what his luck had been. And apparently that had not changed. Perhaps he should ring Cami up and ask her to go out for a drink? No, he had the baby.

Cursing women in general, Klaus turned to Hope, who looked at him with huge eyes. "Don't fall in love, ever!" he told her and she stared back at him curiously. Pushing the play button again, Klaus listened to the tape play and his heart crumbled just a little bit more with each sound she made. 'I could have made you happy. I could have been your last love,' he thought miserably before silencing her voice.

 **TBC**

 **So, wasn't that just sad and shocking…**

 **Thanks for reading, faving, following and for leaving your comments/questions in that little box below.**

 **Daniellerae23: Thank you and I will, I promise because we're building toward a happy ending, slowly.**

 **Guest: Oh, they will officially meet at some point, although I'm not sure when yet. Then sparks and words will fly. Till then you can look forward to one scathing radio conversation in chapter three.**

 **: I know and they will. Just be little bit patient. Trust me, it will be worth the wait.**

 **NikMik: It is, thank you. They will meet in person somewhere in the next couple of chapters because this will be a short story.**

 **Redbudrose: Thank you.**

 **Goldenhummingbird: Thank you.**

 **JuseaPeterson: Thank you. Yes, Caroline called Klaus out and next time it will be his turn in his own way.**

 **TVD. : Thank you, that's sweet.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about how long it took to write this chapter. Writer's block comes and goes. On with the show…**

Chapter 3: Women and Other Headache Producing Anomalies

A week after Klaus had spotted the blonde he assumed was Caroline, he had worked very hard to avoid anyone in his family. Since everyone in his family felt the urge to call him, ring his doorbell or to leave notes on his front door of late, this was not easy. Why did they suddenly want to be around him? Usually Klaus' family tried their best to keep their distance, unless they wanted to fall victim to his endless barbs.

On this particular morning, Klaus was suffering from the mother of all hangovers thanks to going out with some "friends" from work. A long day became an even longer night and Klaus ended up leaving Rousseau's with what some might refer to as his stalker, Aurora de Martel. A glamorous way to end an agonizing week.

Groaning, while his head pounded out a heavy metal song from a late 80s group, Klaus gritted his teeth in agony. "God," he moaned, gripping the side of his head.

"Need some painkillers?" Aurora chirped, her eyes wide with mischief as she emptied the contents of an orange vial into the palm of her hand.

"Ummm," Klaus grunted, eyeing the pills that the red head held out with an innocent smile. He knew by this point that there was nothing about the spoiled, little rich girl who was used to getting whatever she wanted, except for Klaus, at least until his faculties had failed him the previous night, that was innocent. "No, thanks, love," he muttered before scooting to the end of the bed, wrapping a sheet around his middle and standing.

"Come on, Klaus. They won't hurt you," Aurora teased, moving so that she was balancing on her knees and the sheet she had pulled around her slipped an inch with every word. "I would _never_ hurt you. I love you," she told him gleefully.

"How… _nice_ ," Klaus retorted, looking around the room for a t-shirt and pair of jeans. At this point he would put on an Easter Bunny costume if only he could rid himself of this girl's company. Going to the bar had been a mistake. He had been hoping to run into Cami. Once he had seduced her, he could cross her off his list. But the blonde had not been there. Unfortunately for Klaus, Aurora had been there instead.

"Do you want to get some breakfast?" Aurora asked, climbing off the bed and coming to sway from foot to foot in front of Klaus with a dreamy look. "Or I could cook for you! Oh, let me cook! It will be so much _fun_! I swear I will _not_ burn the apartment to the ground."

"Why don't you go out and get something. Here," Klaus found his wallet under his bed but not his pants. Retrieving a twenty dollar bill that was slightly wet, from what Klaus had no idea, he took Aurora's right hand and jammed the money into it. "Treat yourself to a pastry. I have to get to work."

"But…" Klaus could feel Aurora's eyes on him as he collected her blue mini-dress, heels and purse before dumping them into her arms. "I…" Aurora looked confused as Klaus spun her around, unlocked his door and shoved her out.

"Keep the sheet," Klaus called, waving at the girl who looked horrified when his neighbor from across the hall exited his apartment. Closing the door, Klaus went back to look for his own clothing. Finding a clean t-shirt and pair of jeans under a couch cushion, he strode across the room, intent on finding a bagel and getting to work. When he noticed that his answering machine's light was flashing, he pressed a button causing Elijah's voice to fill the room. "Niklaus, we're having a family dinner tonight. You are expected to attend. No arguments."

Klaus shook his head, biting back an insult and looking for the bagels as the answering machine continued to spurt out messages. "Nik, Elijah said he called but I wanted to remind you that _none_ of us have seen you for _over_ a week and we'd like to see you're smug mug tonight. Right then." Rebekah snapped before hanging up.

The last message was from Freya who had been out of town for a year. "Niklaus, I hear that we're having a family dinner. If you do not arrive promptly, I will send Finn and Kol to collect you. Don't make this like last year. _Please_."

Growling, Klaus kicked his fridge door closed before he marched over to the answering machine and deleted all of the messages. He would not be threatened with being physically carried to a dinner, not by his own bloody family. The phone rang again and Klaus sneered at it while taking a healthy bite from his bagel. "Klaus, are you going to get your ass to work, your few fans are missing the sound of your wit," Damon snapped into the phone, his sarcasm loud and clear.

Picking up, Klaus smirked. "Oh, Damon, what _is_ the matter? Did you strike out with the brunette from last night?" he asked with fake sympathy.

"Nope. Scored a home run with that one," Damon told Klaus who rolled his eyes. "Get your ass to work. Now! Or I get to fire you, for good this time!"

When there was the sound of a dial tone echoing in the air, Klaus dropped the receiver. "Bugger him," Klaus grunted before yanking his boxers off and his pants on. Anyone who didn't like his going commando could sod off.

Most of the calls that Klaus took that day were from sad saps with no life of their own. Klaus was about to give up when a new voice filled his ears. "Hello, Klaus. Where have you _been_? I was beginning to think that you had decided to do the female population of New Orleans a favor and join the priesthood." Caroline's words would have made Klaus chuckle before he saw her with his brother-in-law. Now all they did was make him ache for the perfect girl he had dreamt of. " _What_? No snappy retort?" she teased.

"Yes, Caroline, I am _still_ here. Still on-air. Still leaving the ladies of New Orleans begging to hear my smooth voice fill their hearts and still leaving their panties on the floor of my flat."

"I see that a little vacation has done nothing to flatten that ego. Do you think an anvil would do anything to change that?" Caroline joked.

"I don't know, Caroline, can you think of anything like an anvil that might injure my ego because last night I had a _very_ eager young lady stroking it," Klaus retorted. He was hoping to get a rise out of Caroline. No doubt, she was too occupied, screwing Jackson, to actually care what Klaus was up to but it was worth a try.

"Oh, so you had another one-night-stand? _Why_ am I not surprised?" Caroline laughed, causing Klaus to clench his teeth.

Who in the bloody hell was she kidding anyone? Running around with a married man for pity's sake. Sitting back in his seat, Klaus steepled his fingers and tried to think of the best way in which he could make her sweat. "Caroline?"

"Yes, Klaus," Caroline sang into the phone, all sunshine and perk.

"Do you remember our first conversation about _cheating_?" Klaus asked in a solemn tone.

"Yes. How could I forget? Is this about the girl that cheated on you? She's not the one night stand is she? Oh, Klaus, when will you _ever_ learn? People who cheat, don't stop. It's like a compulsion. Like when you start eating chocolate and you say 'I'm just going to eat this one, little piece. The next thing you know, you ate an entire box and have to go to the gym and run like a billion miles."

Caroline sounded so relaxed that Klaus almost felt bad about what he was about to say next. Almost. "Caroline, I think you should have your own show. You can give women advice."

"That does sound like a good job for me," Caroline replied with a giggle. "Does your manager have any openings?"

"I don't know. You could come by the studio and ask him," Klaus continued, without allowing Caroline to respond. "Where was I? Oh, yes, tips. I think your first segment should be about cheating, _yes_? How about you begin with giving women advice on how to keep their husbands faithful? Or you could place yourself into the shoes of a mistress? Give married ladies an idea of why men might find a woman outside of their homes attractive?"

"Hmmm. Well, I like the first one. I'm not so sure about the second. I really frown on cheating," Caroline told Klaus, and for a moment he almost fell for her act.

"Are you sure, Caroline? Are you sure you would have _no_ idea what it was like to be the other woman? Are you sure that you have _never_ crossed the line with someone who has declared that they would live the rest of their lives with someone else? Are you a hundred percent certain that you have _never_ in your short life taken anyone's _husband_ into _your_ bed?" Klaus cried, knowing that he had lost his temper and he was practically shouting into the speaker.

"Seriously! _What_ is _your_ problem?" Caroline yelled back and Klaus felt his cheeks redden as his pulse raced with barely contained anger.

"I'm sorry, Caroline, we'll have to do this again sometime soon but my program is at a close." Hanging up on Caroline, Klaus ran a hand over his face before speaking again. "That is all for today, listeners. Thank you for tuning into Lonely Souls Radio. Have a good night and try to not cheat," Klaus said before he yanked his head phones off.

" _What_ was _that_ about?" Marcel asked, popping his head into the booth and giving Klaus a confused look. "I thought you liked that girl."

Klaus shrugged, giving his friend a fake smile. "You know that I have never been one to fancy one girl for too long."

"Yeah. You're a real love 'em and leave 'em type of guy. Speaking of which, Damon told me that there's some girl by the name of Aurora who's been calling for the past two hours and now she's in the lobby, looking for you." Marcel stated, folding his arms over his chest.

Shaking his head, Klaus got to his feet, slowly. "Yes, that would seem to be my luck these days. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take her to the family dinner tonight. If my family doesn't scare her off, then I'm afraid I'll have to have her killed."

Marcel's eyebrows rose at Klaus' comments. "Are you _sure_ you're feeling okay? I don't remember you ever taking a girl to a family dinner before."

"Marcel, there is a first for everything. Maybe Rebekah will not threaten to kill Kol. Maybe Elijah will stop trying to love Hayley. Maybe we will all be crushed by a meteor instead of having to eat whatever vegan delight that Freya concocts." Klaus listed off the impossibilities of a night with his family on his way into the lobby.

"Klaus, there you are! I've been waiting for you for _hours_. That man who runs the station is _very_ rude," Aurora told Klaus with a pout, reaching out and yanking him closer to her.

"Yes, Damon is an ass. I would have him fired, but I don't own this station," Klaus replied, mimicking Aurora's pout.

"My daddy could buy this place and fire him for us. He could make you into the manager," Aurora gasped, clapping her hands together when Marcel let out a snort of laughter.

Suppressing his own desire to laugh out loud, Klaus slid his arms around Aurora's waist. "How would you like to attend a dinner with my family tonight?" he asked her.

Aurora let out a shriek before leaping into Klaus' arms and wrapping herself so tightly around him that he could barely breathe. "Yes. Yes. Oh, **yes**. Please! I will be on my _best_ behavior. Oh, we're going to have the loveliest time and I will _make_ your family love me. I swear on my life."

Klaus forced a smile when Aurora kissed him. Oh, yes, this was going to be a memorable night. Now if he could make sure that he and Jackson were not seated too closely together and if there were no sharp instruments within his reach, then everything would go along wonderfully. If not, who could tell? Maybe Caroline really would become a new host for the station after Klaus went to jail for ending her lover's life.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: Thank you. I hope you're still enjoying the fic.**

 **NikMik: We will see more of Klaus and Hope and some cute, fluffy moments next time. In a round about way, Klaus will make it obvious to Hayley what Jack's been up to. We will have to wait a little longer before Klaus and Care meet in person, but trust me, it will be worth the wait.**

 **Guest: Finally, I updated. It's only been a billion years.**

 **Peace,**

 **J**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. I finished writing this story so I can say that there will be updates once a month, until chapter seven, our final chapter.** **On with the show…**

Chapter 4: Family Dinner: Part I

Family dinners were always occasions that Klaus tried to avoid. But tonight seemed to be unavoidable with everyone clamoring for Klaus' company, for once. If only he could find a likely excuse, such as having a violent case of the flu or bleeding to death in the hospital. No. They wouldn't accept any excuses this time 'round.

Sliding into a pair of comfortable sneakers and adjusting his frayed Henley that had to be at least five years old, Klaus smirked at his reflection. Yes, this would drive poor Elijah quite mad. He of the dry cleaned and pressed suits every bloody day. What a bore. "Are you ready, love?" Klaus called to Aurora who was reapplying her lipstick. She could not seem to settle on a shade for the night's event.

"Yes," Aurora called, appearing with blood red lips and a long, white gown. Klaus tried to not laugh. She looked like she was going to get married and if she thought him to be the groom, she was sadly mistaken. "Have I told you how excited I am to meet your family?" she asked for the thousandth time in the last three hours.

"Yes, Aurora. You have," Klaus retorted. Walking over to the door to his flat, he clicked the lock open and motioned for her to leave. If only he could send her and stay at home, watching whatever poorly scripted comedy that network TV had to offer. Alas, he was off to those who might take his head by the end of the night.

Aurora continued to talk all the way down the stairs, in the car and through the entire drive to Elijah's house. And for once Klaus could say he was relieved to see the house that Elijah resided in coming into view. "We're almost there," he said, mostly in relief that he would soon be around other people and not left alone with the lunatic in his car.

"Oh, good. Let me try to remember everyone's names. Freya is your oldest sister. Then Finn and his wife, Sage. Do they have children?" Aurora looked to Klaus who was humming to himself. "Never mind. I can't be expected to know everyone's names this quickly. Ummm… Let's see, who else… Aw, yes, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah. I think Rebekah and I will make fabulous friends. We're the same age, you know?"

Klaus turned to look at Aurora. "You're only twenty? Dear God. What was I thinking," he joked as she smiled at him, leaning in for a kiss when he stopped her. "And then there is Hayley, the mother of my child, her husband, Jackson and my little girl, Hope."

"Oh," Aurora's eyes widened and she frowned. "You have a child. I didn't know that. And I thought I knew most everything about you."

"Well, there are some things about my life I do not advertise to the general public," Klaus replied. Getting out of the car, he walked around it and opened the passenger side door.

The red head got out and beamed up at Klaus as if he had offered her a diamond ring. Never. Not on my worst day, Klaus thought to himself. Turning away from his companion for the night, he strode up to the front door. It did not take long before it opened to reveal a smirking brunette with long, brown locks tumbling down her shoulders. "Hello, who are you?" she asked with a deep accent.

"I'm Klaus; who the bloody hell are you?" Klaus replied and then added a grin that made most women wilt.

"Ah, you are another of the brothers. Come. Elijah's expecting you," the woman moved aside, waving them in.

"Who's that?" Aurora asked Klaus quietly.

"No idea," Klaus muttered under his breath.

"Niklaus," Elijah called. "Everyone, Klaus is here," he called to the family who were already there. "Who is the lovely young woman you've brought with you tonight?" the second oldest of the Mikaelson men inquired, coming to stand in front of Aurora who was smiling so widely that Klaus thought it must hurt.

"I'm Aurora de Martel. And you're Elijah. It is a pleasure to meet you, at last," Aurora cried, hugging Elijah and making Klaus stifle a laugh at his brother's look of shock. "I know that we will get along smashingly."

"Ha," Kol cried as he walked in with another brunette. "Nik brought a girl with him. It's the first sign of the apocalypse."

"Kol," the girl at his side moaned. "Be nice to your family."

"Davina, I will when they begin to treat me _properly_." Kol kissed the girl's cheek before coming to stand beside Klaus. "How good of you to show up, Nik. Thanks for taking the pressure off of my looking like the ass of the family for tonight."

"Nik!" Rebekah cried, distracting Klaus from Kol's sarcasm. "I'm _so_ happy you came!" his little sister cried. "Marcel and I have good news and we're so happy you're here to hear it."

"Wonderful," Klaus muttered as Rebekah dragged him into the dining room. "Sage," he greeted his older brother's wife who he sat next to.

"Klaus. There's plenty of wine in the cellar. In case you can't get through tonight sober," Sage told him with a knowing smile.

"Thanks," Klaus replied sincerely. He knew she did not relish these evenings any more than he did, being one of the only other people in the family who was not greeted with open arms.

"Hayley's here," Rebekah called to Klaus, making him glance up.

"Right," he got to his feet. "Aurora, I'll be back in a moment," he told the girl who had started to follow him. "In the meantime, you should chat with Sage."

Walking into the living quarters, Klaus found that Hayley had decided to dress down for the dinner as well. "Where is Hope?" he asked her.

"With Jack. He'll be here in a minute," Hayley told him.

"Hayley," Elijah's voice came out like he couldn't breathe and Klaus rolled his eyes at his brother's reaction to being in her presence. He hoped someone would shoot him if he ever acted that love-sick.

"This is Hayley. The mother of Klaus' child, yes?" the woman who had answered the door asked Elijah.

"Yes, Katerina," Elijah replied. His gaze focusing and moving to the woman who was looking up at him.

"Now we have a name to go with the looks," Klaus said with a wide smile.

"You are a flirty man," Katerina replied with a grin. "I like this one, Elijah. He is… how do you say… funny," she walked over and patted Klaus' cheek before turning away from him.

"He's something," Hayley muttered when Jackson came into the house with Hope.

"Klaus," Jackson greeted Klaus who felt his blood pressure rise.

"Jackson," Klaus all but snarled as he took his daughter. "Hello, my loveliest girl."

"Oh, my God. She's like a little doll. Can I hold her?" Aurora cried. Klaus hadn't even noticed that she had come into the room.

"No!" Klaus and Hayley snapped at the same time. For once they were on the same page. Giving Hayley a quick nod, Klaus turned to his date. "I'm sorry, Aurora, but Hope does not like it when strangers hold her."

"Alright." Aurora's cheeks flushed, her eyes trailing toward the floor when the doorbell rang breaking the tension in the air.

"That must be Freya," Elijah cried. He moved around his guests to answer the door. "Freya," he greeted their sister. "And…"

"Elijah, it's so good to see you," Freya kissed Elijah on the cheek before gesturing to the man by her side. "You remember Lucien." Bouncing a bundle in a blanket in her arms, her smile faltered for an instant. "And this is Shawn. My son."

"Your son?" Klaus could almost see the look of apprehension on Elijah's face before a polite smile would replace it. Everyone knew that Elijah was the last person in the family to support Freya's relationship with Lucien Castle, her sometimes paramour who appeared and disappeared at will. And to hear that Freya and Lucien were parents, well, Elijah was more than likely having a minor aneurysm.

"How… lovely. But why did you not tell us of your… good news?" Elijah questioned their sister.

"Oh, well…" Freya began when Rebekah came into the room. "Is Freya here yet?" she asked them.

"I'm _here_ ," Freya called to Rebekah who came running to her older sister. "Rebekah, it's been so _long_."

"Freya, I missed you so much. And this must be Shawn," Rebekah began to fuss over the baby as Elijah threw up his hands and walked off.

"Should we go to the dining room? I'm famished," Lucien suggested, rubbing his hands together. "Haven't had a decent meal in ages, with all that bunny food Freya makes."

"Excuse me?" Freya's eyebrows rose as she glared at her boyfriend.

"Excuse me for being a cad but I miss a bit of protein in my meals, darling. Off we go," Lucien tugged Freya toward the dining room and everyone followed them there.

Elijah took his usual seat at the head of the table with Klaus to his left and Rebekah to his right. "Now that we're all here, I would like to make a toast, to family."

"Always and forever," Kol called from the other side of the table.

"What does this mean?" Katerina asked, leaning toward Kol. She was sitting opposite Elijah, swirling her glass of red wine and smirking at Kol.

"It means… I have no idea what it means, but it's something that our parents used to say to us when we were little," Finn told Katerina who nodded.

"That is good. To remember things that your parents tell you. I have not seen my family in many, _many_ years," she told them.

"Where are you from?" Aurora asked Katerina. "Your accent. It sounds European. You're not from Russia, are you?"

"No, no, _Bulgaria_ ," Katerina replied with a slow smile.

"And _how_ is it that you and Elijah met?" Hayley asked, picking up her glass of wine and taking a healthy sip.

"Oh, he is helping me with a problem. Nothing that he cannot handle as he puts it. From now on, he handles _many_ problems for me. That is what _husband_ does for _wife_ ," Katerina said and Klaus' eyes widened when Hayley choked on her wine and Kol began to applaud.

"Ah, babies and weddings and all kinds of nonsense. I'm _so_ glad I showed up tonight," Kol said with a snicker.

"Oh, shut it, Kol," Finn snapped at Kol who shrugged.

"I'm pregnant!" Rebekah blurted and then her cheeks grew red.

"You're _what_?" Marcel looked like someone had punched him. "I thought our big news was that we were moving in together?"

"Well, that, _too_ ," Rebekah sighed. "I am so hungry."

"What is that smell? Like roast pork," Katerina asked and Elijah shot to his feet.

"Dear God. I'm burning the duck!" he yelled.

Kol began to laugh so hard that he nearly fell out of his chair. "Kol's girlfriend is a _minor_!" Rebekah shouted, causing everyone to look at Kol with raised eyebrows. "She's only seventeen," Rebekah added before taking a sip of water.

"For a _week_. She will be eighteen in a week. It's _not_ like we're having sex. We're _waiting_ for her birthday," Kol told the assembled guests.

"Kol!" Davina shouted. Her face turning pink.

"I'm sixteen," Aurora told them.

" _What_?" Klaus yelled, jumping to his feet.

"It's a _joke_. I'm kidding. Please, sit down," Aurora begged Klaus who could only stare at her in horror.

"I think I'm going to help Elijah in the kitchen. If you'll excuse me," Klaus got to his feet and started to leave.

"I'm going to find another bottle of wine," Hayley added, getting up and following Klaus. "What's up with you tonight?" she hissed at Klaus.

"Nothing's up with me. What's wrong with _you_?" Klaus growled back.

" _Nothing_. Shouldn't you be here with that girl who keeps harassing you on your show?" Hayley asked when they entered the kitchen.

"That's none your concern," Klaus snapped.

"Damn it," Elijah sighed when they entered the kitchen. "I think we're going to have to order out," he told them, glancing at the duck, that was smoking on the counter and charred beyond recognition. "And I was hoping that we could have nice family dinner for once."

"Yeah. Didn't we all," Hayley grunted, leaning against a wall while Klaus went in search of a phone book.

Klaus kept his thoughts to himself, knowing that it would just put Elijah in a worse mood if he blurted out Jackson's little secret. As long as no one else mentioned Caroline or anything to do with his show and he didn't have to interact with Jackson too much, he might be able to get through this dinner without making the man into the main course.

 **Look forward to the next update next month.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Mo: Thank you. Aurora is fun to write about especially as a human. Poor Freya, her dinner parties are the nightmare of the Mikaelson family. I hope you enjoy this chapter, too.**

 **NikMik: Caroline would make an incredible talk show host. We will find about what Care knows and does not know soon.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers. I can't believe we only have two more chapters after this, can you? Enjoy the dinner party antics!** **On with the show…**

Chapter 5: Family Dinner: Part II

"This is not what I expected," Aurora whispered to Klaus who did not bother answering her. Patting her hand lightly, he returned to watching his siblings bicker amongst each other. "Is this what they're _always_ like?" the girl continued on as if she truly believed he would reply.

"I don't know why you had to order so many; with so much meat on them. Don't you _know_ what they do to those poor animals?" Freya insisted while Elijah hung his head.

Lucien smiled. "You don't have to think about it. Besides there are much worse ways to die. Did I tell you about my _latest_ book? It's about a serial killer—"

" _When_ is the food going to get here?" Kol groaned. "I'm bloody starving. Marcel is beginning to look like an appetizer."

"That is _disgusting_ ," Rebekah yelled at Kol, giving him a look of disgust. "Oh, I think I'm going to be sick."

"Has anyone bothered to feed the babies?" Jackson asked, peering at two irritated babies who began to wail.

"Why do they make that sound? Elijah, must we have babies right away?" Katerina questioned Elijah who turned to her with a startled look.

"Gee, how long have you known each other? A _second_ and now you're married and talking about babies." Hayley crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Elijah.

"We're not married yet," Elijah corrected Hayley who rolled her eyes.

"Where are the pizzas?" Kol whined in a high pitched tone.

"Elijah, are there snacks in the pantry?" Davina asked, getting to her feet.

"Yes," Kol answered for Elijah. "Let's go get them."

"No!" Elijah thundered. "She's not eighteen yet."

At that point the doorbell rang and everyone let out a cheer. "I'll go get them," Aurora announced, causing Klaus' eyebrows to rise. "I'd like to be of some use tonight," she said with a wide smile. "Does anyone have money? I seem to have forgotten my purse."

Elijah pulled out his wallet and handed Aurora three twenties. She disappeared and then reappeared within ten minutes while everyone went back to bickering. "Ugh, I can smell pepperoni," Freya moaned, gagging.

"Thank you," Kol hummed, jumping to his feet when Aurora re-entered the dining room with four large boxes.

"I gave the delivery girl the change as a tip. She was such a sweet girl. Apparently she's delivering tonight as a favor to a family friend," Aurora told them.

"How sweet," Hayley said with an utter lack of sincerity.

"Isn't it?" Aurora replied, clueless as ever. "I would never do that kind of work, but I understand that some people do. It turns out that we once vacationed in Malibu, during the same spring break, at the same hotel. It's a wonder we didn't meet. Isn't that funny? I didn't know that poor people could afford to vacation."

" _Really_?" Klaus chuckled while taking a slice of pizza.

"Yes, she was _so_ much fun to talk to. I almost forgot to come back with the pizzas." Aurora let out a laugh.

"Well, why don't you go outside and stop her. Maybe you can just keep talking while she delivers her other orders," Hayley suggested with a smile.

"Oh, _no_ , I don't want to bother Caroline, tonight. She gave me her phone number so we can chat about her next trip to Venice. I want to warn her about where not to stay." Aurora placed a slice of pizza on a paper plate and only stopped talking when Klaus began to choke on his pizza slice. "Oh, dear, are you alright?"

"Fine. I'm fine," Klaus uttered, setting his food aside. "Did you just say _Caroline_?"

"Yes. The girl who delivered the pizzas name is Caroline," Aurora repeated.

"Isn't that the name of the girl you keep talking to on your show?" Hayley asked with an innocent smile directed at Klaus.

"Yes," Klaus replied darkly before returning to his pizza.

"Don't you have a _thing_ for her or something?" Hayley pressed.

" _What_?" Aurora asked, looking to Klaus for an answer.

"No, not anymore. It seems that Caroline is too busy with someone else to be bothered with the likes of me," Klaus snapped, ignoring Aurora.

"Really? You seemed _really_ hung up on that girl," Marcel interjected and Klaus thought of ways to cause him pain.

Jackson glanced up from where he had been feeding Hope tiny bits of pizza. "What are we talking about?" he asked.

"A girl named Caroline. You might know her. She's a long legged, blonde, feisty. Any of that sound familiar to you, Jack?" Klaus asked. Now, Hayley was looking at her husband with a frown.

"Jack, what's he talking about?" Hayley asked.

"Nothing. He's just being Klaus," Jackson replied evenly. "Trying to make trouble, when there's nothing to be angry about."

"Really, Jackson? I'm trying to make trouble? Am I the one who's chasing about with girls they're not married to?" Klaus snapped. He'd had enough of Jackson's holier-than-thou act. He always knew he was too good to be true.

"What is your _problem_ , Klaus?" Jackson snapped at Klaus.

Hope began to cry and Hayley got up, taking her daughter out of her high chair. "I'll take her," Rebekah offered. She took the screaming child out of the room and Davina gathered Shawn up for Freya.

"Niklaus, _what_ are you suggesting?" Elijah asked when the children were gone.

"Saint Jackson is _not_ so saintly," Klaus told the family. "He's been _cheating_ on Hayley."

"Klaus—" Hayley began when Klaus cut her off.

"Admit it. You've been out with a certain blonde and claiming that you are devoted to the mother of my child. And you have the nerve to insult _me_ ," Klaus scoffed.

"You don't know anything about my marriage, Klaus," Jackson snapped.

"Then enlighten me." Klaus held out his hands, waiting for an explanation.

"I don't _owe_ you anything. I'm out of here," Jackson got to his feet and started to leave the room when Klaus got up and followed him.

"Come on, mate, have you become a coward?" Klaus taunted the taller man.

Jackson let out a bitter laugh, looking down before he hauled off and punched Klaus, sending Klaus flying over the table.

"Oh, spectacular," Kol cried with glee when Klaus got to his feet and moved around the table, quickly.

" _Not_ in the dining room," Elijah ordered them, waving the two younger men out of the room. Everyone followed Klaus and Jackson into the backyard.

"Would you both _stop_ it!" Hayley yelled. "Jack, just let it go!"

"No, Hayley. This has been a long time coming," Jackson answered, rolling up his sleeves and waving for Klaus to come to him.

"I'm going to make you regret hurting anyone in my family," Klaus snarled, punching Jackson in the face, taking satisfaction when Jackson reared back.

"Stop it!" Hayley shouted at them when Jackson lunged at Klaus, knocking them both to the ground. "Elijah, please, do _something_."

Elijah looked at Hayley before he yanked Klaus off of Jackson who had been pummeling the other man. Shoving Klaus toward Finn, he did not do anything until Finn had a hold on Klaus. Holding out a hand, Elijah pulled Jackson to his feet. "I'm going to ask you a question. Did you _cheat_ on Hayley?" Elijah asked Jackson who was wiping blood from his lower lip.

"Yeah," Jackson said after a brief pause.

Nodding Elijah, looked away before punching Jackson, rendering him unconscious. "I never liked him anyway."

"What is wrong with all of you?" Freya thundered. She swiftly marched over to Jackson's side and took his pulse.

Elijah glanced down at their sister. "Never fear, sister, I did not hit him that hard. Perhaps I should have, but I held my temper."

"Truly, Elijah," Freya shook her head. "Lucien, help me get him inside." The family was quiet on their way inside. Sitting back down, everyone ate in silence until Freya returned, giving them bitter looks. "Finn, would you and Sage please take Aurora outside? I think there's an interesting view of the street."

Finn and Sage got up while Aurora protested. "I want to stay with Klaus," she cried.

"If beggars were choosers…" Finn told her.

"Is that from the Canterbury Tales?" Aurora asked him on their way out.

"Now, I want to know why it is that I leave this family for a single year and I return to nothing but chaos?" Freya stared down at the family as if they were naughty children.

"Freya, dear sister, I do not see why you're so upset by a very _small_ family quarrel. We had them frequently growing up," Klaus pointed out.

Letting out a bitter laugh, Freya shook her head. "Niklaus, we are not children anymore. We are adults. We have children. It is long past time that we stop with this pettiness and keeping secrets from each other. If we are to get along, we must be united or we will lose each other. Is that what you want? To grow bitter and alone?"

Klaus sat back in his seat. "Well then, Freya, show us the errors of our ways. Or better yet, you could spill your own secrets and tell us why it is that you went running off with your tail tucked between your legs?"

Freya cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, Niklaus, do not think me one of the listeners on your sad, little show. I do not answer to you."

" _Really_? But you expect us to answer to _you_ ," Klaus said evenly, staring his sister in the eye with a smirk. "Come, now, _confess_ , tell us what you've been hiding. It's not just an innocent, little babe, is it?"

For a moment, Freya did not answer. Klaus could tell she was thinking of what to tell them and how to tell them. "Fine." Turning to Hayley, Freya began to speak. "Hayley, the day before your wedding Jackson saw you, with Elijah, in bed." Kol began to chuckle until Elijah gave him a sour look. "He was distraught and called me. I told him to meet me at my flat. We had a few drinks and Lucien and I were not getting along…"

"You slept with my fiancee?" Hayley's face flushed red.

"You were sleeping with my brother!" Freya retorted. "As I was saying, Jackson and I had spent the night together. The very next day we did not have time to talk, and before I knew it, you were married. The next day, I left. A month later I found that I was pregnant, with Shawn. Now you know why I've been gone. I couldn't come home and tell you all what was going on. I was horrified and I did not want to harm the family when we were finally getting along."

For a long time no one said a word when Hayley spoke up. "Marrying Jackson was a mistake and we realized that the day after the wedding. We never consummated our marriage and it was annulled six months later. We were trying to see if we could be anything more than friends, but it just wasn't working. I just can't believe he didn't tell me that he was seeing someone else."

"I can't believe that you allowed me to believe that you were married," Elijah said irritably.

"Why do you care; you're _getting_ married?" Hayley snapped at him.

"I…" Elijah shook his head.

"Excuse me." Klaus got to his feet. He had had enough drama for the night and just wanted to go to bed. He was lost in his own thoughts when he exited the house to find Aurora on the porch, by herself, staring out at the sunset.

"You like someone else?" Aurora asked. She didn't turn to look at him but he could hear the tears in her voice. "I should have known. Every guy I meet already likes someone else. Why should you be any different?"

Klaus felt a pang of guilt for once in so long he had forgotten what the emotion felt like. "I'm sorry, Aurora. You know, I'm sure there is a guy out there who will enjoy your… unique qualities."

"I'm sure." Aurora shook her head, not looking at him.

The front door opened and Lucien exited with a smile. "That was an exciting night. Do you think I could get your family to sign some waivers? You've inspired me. I'd like to write my next novel about a murderous family, based on your lot."

"Oh, good," Klaus replied with fake cheerfulness.

"I'm off then. Tell Freya to have a good night for me," Lucien headed off when Aurora called after him.

"Could I get a ride?" she called.

"For you, anything," Lucien told her with a grin.

Aurora bounced off the porch. "Goodbye, Klaus," she called with a wave before turning back to Lucien. "You're a writer. What does that pay?"

Klaus decided to a take a walk before driving home. If he had been the one to answer the door, he would have met Caroline face-to-face. But it did not seem to be meant to be. Maybe he would never meet her. Maybe she was better off without him. Klaus had no idea what to think since he'd all but called her a slut on-air. If they ever spoke again, he would have to apologize but she would probably never call.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest review:**

 **NikMik: It is crazy and it didn't get less so. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. We will be back next month before we see the finale in July. Whoa. That's soon!**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovely readers. WE have one more chapter after this. OMG! On with the show…**

Chapter 6: Mistakes

Two weeks after the disastrous family dinner, no one in the family was speaking to each other. For once Klaus felt disturbed by the lack of communication. He even wondered if he should arrange a dinner of his own, then thought better of it.

Rebekah broke first, calling Klaus and asking him to come to her first ultrasound, with Marcel who was still freaking out about impending fatherhood. "Oh, God. What is that _thing_?" Marcel asked, looking at the monitor.

" _That_ is your baby," the doctor informed him while Klaus chuckled.

"That's not funny, Klaus," Marcel snapped.

"It is so," Rebekah told her boyfriend when the doctor left them. She took a tissue and wiped the gel off her belly while smiling happily at Marcel. "I think you're going to fall in love with our little baby once you see a face."

"Yes, because a face makes all the difference," Klaus reassured his friend, patting him on the back while Marcel examined the photo.

"I think he has my grandfather's nose," Marcel told them with a hint of a smile.

" _Really_? What makes you think it's a _he_?" Rebekah snorted and Klaus took that opportunity to sneak into the hallway.

Retrieving his phone from his back pocket, Klaus dialed a familiar number. "Hayley, how are things?" he asked to the sound of Hayley's resigned sigh.

"Great. Things are just great, Klaus. _Never_ better. What do you want?" Hayley questioned him, and Klaus could hear the sound of water running in the background.

"Do me a favor, would you, and bring Hope by?" he asked her.

"Why?" Hayley retorted and then laughed. "Baby girl, don't splash mama like that!"

Klaus smiled before answering. "I'd just like to spend some time with my daughter. I know it's not my scheduled day, but I'd like to see her."

"If you say so. Want to say 'hi' to daddy, Hope?" she cried to the baby who was babbling to herself.

"Daddy!" Hope cried excitedly into the phone, followed by the sounds of more chattering that made sense to children her age.

"Hello, little one," Klaus answered. "I will see you soon, my love."

"See ya." Hayley hung up and Klaus returned to his sister.

Klaus barely had time to straighten up his flat when Hayley was knocking on his door, impatiently as ever. "Okay. Here's her things. I will be back around eight. Do _not_ leave the state," Hayley ordered Klaus. Leaning over, she kissed Hope on the cheek before leaving his flat.

"Alone at last," Klaus cried. "What would you like to do, my darling girl?"

Hope began to make airplane noises. "Brrrrraaaaarrrrrrrr," she intoned, holding her arms straight out, waiting for her father to spin her around.

"It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Super Hope!" Klaus cried, laughing while his child continued to make her noises. After a time, he decided to pop in one of her _Sesame_ _Street_ videos and grabbed his sketch pad. It had been some time since Klaus had bothered trying to draw anything. His father had always told him that he couldn't make a real living at his little "doodles" and at some point, Klaus began to believe him.

Watching his little girl watch her show, Klaus drew the outline of her face. Her expressions began to appear on the paper, her eyes wide, lips parted. If he could keep her like this forever, he would. Innocent. At least he would have the sketch. "What do you think?" he asked, holding it up for her inspection.

Hope tilted her head and then waved at her father until he looked down. "Yes, I suppose it is missing something." Licking his bottom lip, Klaus began to sketch himself into the picture. When he was done, he turned it back for Hope's approval. She clapped her hands and giggled at the sight of herself in her father's lap.

"I thought so. What else can we make?" Klaus inquired, raising his eyebrows when Hope waved at her bag. Getting to his feet, Klaus began to search through it until he recovered a tape cassette. "Ah, what do we have here?" he asked. Somehow he figured that Jackson would have stopped making these things since he moved out of the house he shared with Hayley.

Popping the cassette in, he clicked play. "Hey, Klaus. This time I'm recording the program because Jack's got something. This is about two weeks old, but it's got your friend, Caroline on it. Hope you enjoy," Hayley informed him in a bored tone.

"Right," Klaus pushed the forward button until the program got to where Caroline was speaking and Hope began to coo. "Would you like me to make a picture of her?" he questioned his daughter.

"Caro," Hope muttered.

"Did you just say what I think you said?" Klaus asked and Hope smiled up at him.

"You little troublemaker," Klaus cried fondly. Scooping Hope up, he placed her in his lap and began to sketch. When he was done, Hope was fast asleep and he had a mere fifteen minutes left with her. "I love you more than the whole world, my loveliest girl," he whispered into the child's ear before gathering her things.

An hour after Hayley picked Hope up, Klaus was bored out of his skull. He had nothing to do and no one to see. Usually he would work on the next program or call Elijah, just to irritate him about something minor but Elijah wasn't talking to anyone in the family. Freya seemed to have her hands full with her offspring. Kol was doing God knew what with his little girlfriend since it was a solid day after her birthday…

The only thing that Klaus could think of to do was to go to Rousseau's and check up on his favorite bartender. Knowing his luck of late, she wouldn't even be working this evening. But as luck would have it, she was there, looking bored with a serious shortage of clientele.

"Cami, don't look so depressed. Your life has gotten better, I showed up," Klaus joked with a wicked smile.

"Klaus, does that really work on anyone?" Cami asked, smirking at him while wiping the spot in front of him clean and filling a glass of bourbon.

"Sometimes. What impression did it leave on you, sweetheart?" he asked with his best seductive gaze.

"Well, it wasn't the _worst_ pick-up line. I would give it a ten on execution but a five on creativity," Cami retorted with a chuckle.

"Oh, you wound me. Everything I say is original. Or at least it is when I have never spoken the line to the same woman," Klaus told her.

Cami leaned against the bar, giving Klaus a serious look. "So, Klaus, how has life been treating you?"

"I've had better days. Then I have had much worse. But you could make mine a little more pleasant if you'd agree to have a drink with me after your shift ends," Klaus replied, slowly leaning forward so that there was very little personal space between them and he concentrated on her lips.

"You know, Klaus," Cami began, leaning back from the bar, "that might have worked a couple of months ago but I started seeing someone. Sorry."

"Oh," Klaus settled back onto his barstool. "Is it serious?"

" _Very_ ," Cami told him with a smile. "I think that this is the guy I could end up spending my life with. And here he is now. Hi, baby," she pushed herself over the bar top just far enough to kiss a tall, blonde haired man. "Will, this is Klaus Mikaelson," she waved toward Klaus who smiled at the man whom Cami was grinning at with one of those love-sick looks.

Will turned to Klaus and offered his hand. "You're that guy with that radio program. 'Lonely Souls,' right?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be me," Klaus replied, taking the man's hand and shaking it.

"I _love_ that program. I listen to it whenever I can when I'm not trying to catch criminals. So what's up with you and that Caroline girl? Is it me, or are there some sparks there?" Will looked from Klaus to Cami who was nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, Klaus, if you weren't so rude to her I would say you might have a chance. Try being, I don't know, _nice_ for once, you never know what kind of good can come from it," Cami teased, entangling her fingers with her boyfriend's.

The radio station had been unusually quiet when Klaus had first entered it. Now it was buzzing with an overly caffeinated staff. Damon hurried around the station, trying to make sure nothing had gone missing after they fired, Oliver, an intern who turned out to be a clepto. "Where is _my_ stapler?" Damon shouted and Klaus smirked from his booth. He had it and would be damned if he would tell Damon where it was.

"Has anyone seen my stapler?" Damon continued to shout as Klaus searched through his list of favorite songs. Today, he was in a sentimental mood and wanted to put his listeners in the same. "Hmmm…" Finding Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable," he spoke to his listeners. "Hello, my Lonely Souls, how are you doing tonight? I want to dedicate this song by our dearly departed and to a very special little girl out there, to my Hope, love daddy." Hitting play on his dashboard, he sat back and closed his eyes.

Several songs and some truly forlorn listeners later, Klaus' ears perked up when the Damon announced the next caller. "We've got Caroline, on line one," he announced with a shocked expression.

"Caroline, how good of you to call me again. I missed the sound of your voice," Klaus said sincerely.

" _Really_? Because the last time we talked you were being an ass, Klaus," Caroline retorted, followed by a huff of exasperation.

Grinning, Klaus leaned forward in his seat. "You're right, Caroline. I was having a _very_ bad day of it the last time we chatted, and I do, sincerely, apologize for my words. I made a mistake."

"Wait a minute, mister! Did you just apologize? Did anyone else hear _that_? I hope someone at the station is recording this, because I will _pay_ for a copy," Caroline cried and Klaus could almost see her smiling.

"I will have them FedEx a copy to you, for free," Klaus told her and Caroline let out a surprised laugh.

"Wow! You are in a _good_ mood. Did you win the lottery or see your enemy get pummeled because I don't think I've ever heard you this… happy. Or nice. Why are you being nice to me? Am I being punked? Is Ashton Kutcher standing behind me? Isn't that show over? Okay. I'm babbling. Sorry," Caroline let out a nervous giggle.

"You can babble for as long as you want to, I'll be happy to listen," Klaus told her and Caroline was quiet for a long moment. "Are you still there, Caroline?"

"Yes, I'm still here. It's just that most of the guys that I've known think I talk too much," she said almost shyly.

"That's their loss," Klaus said.

"Okay. Now I know that you're on cough syrup or something. You're never this nice to anyone. _Ever_. Trust me, I've been listening to you every night and I had my friends find _old_ recordings," Caroline suddenly stopped talking. "I'm cringing right now."

"Why?" Klaus asked.

"Because I just sounded like a total stalker. I mean, I've never met you. And I'm just getting out of a relationship and I'm pretty sure that you're flirting with me. Not that that means anything, 'cause you flirt with lots of people. Like a lot, a lot," Caroline began to laugh again.

"What if I said that I didn't want to flirt with other people anymore," Klaus asked her and waited while she paused.

"I'd think you need to lay off the cough syrup, buddy. Although it is a nice thought," Caroline replied.

"Yes, isn't it?" Klaus smiled as he spoke, wishing that Caroline was in the studio right now. That way she would know that he was not high or joking. "Until next time, Caroline."

"Until next time, Klaus," Caroline answered.

"Good night, my Lonely Souls," Klaus whispered into the mic before he cut the sound.

"What was _that_?" Damon called from outside the booth while Klaus waved him off. He was having a moment of pure happiness, sitting in his chair and thinking that he might be making a connection with Caroline after all. Baby steps. But baby steps could be a beginning to much more and Klaus knew that there was always hope.

 **Will Klaroline meet in person? Tune in next time to find out!** **J**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.** **J**

 **Answer to guest review:**

 **NikMik: Yes, it was. Haha! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!** **J**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my lovely readers. It's here, finally, the finale of this story and Klaus and Caroline meet, at last. On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Good Night, My Lonely Souls

"Hello, my Lonely Souls. How are you all tonight? This is a special edition of our program, seeing as this will be the last time I will be hosting," Klaus intoned into the speaker with a wan smile. "It has been five years since I joined our family and I have to say that I will not forget a single moment. Thank you for listening. Let's go to our first caller of the night," Klaus pushed a button and waited, tapping his fingers on his desk.

For the next hour Klaus listened to callers from all over New Orleans telling him about the loneliness they were experiencing. Since it was his last live show, Klaus tried to be somewhat gentler, but he was Klaus after all. "I would try not picking up men in the bookstore, if you don't want to date anymore geeks, Josh. Thank you for calling," Klaus replied to a young man.

Klaus smirked to himself when he answered the next call. "Hello, caller, welcome to Lonely Souls. Tell us, why is it that you're calling instead of out tonight enjoying the moonlight?"

"I'm calling because the man I'm in love with is about to marry someone else and I don't know how to tell him how I feel," Hayley replied and Klaus suppressed a laugh. She had never called his program before and he wondered if Elijah was listening right now.

"Why don't you try hanging up and calling him _instead_ ," Klaus retorted in a teasing tone.

"I would, but he's on his way to this little church on the outskirts of town. Right now!" Hayley snapped in exasperation.

" _What_? And he didn't tell us? I mean, he didn't tell _his_ _family_?" Standing up, Klaus checked his watch, wondering what Elijah could be thinking.

"No, he _didn't_ tell his family. He left a note that I found taped to his brother's door," Hayley informed Klaus who began to run his hand through his hair.

"Then I would suggest that you hang up this minute, get in your car and find him!" Klaus yelled into the mic.

"I would, but my baby's father is a little busy at the moment, at his work. If he could, I don't know, come out of his booth and collect his child, then I could go chase down his brother before he makes a _huge_ mistake," Hayley said, knocking on the glass and waving to him.

"Callers, I will be back after a brief commercial break," Klaus said quickly before ripping his earphones off and leaving the booth to collect his daughter. "Good luck," he said, squeezing Hayley's shoulder and nodding at her before she ran down the hall. "So, Hope, this is going to be our first live show together. Are you ready for the limelight?"

Hope cooed and giggled as Klaus re-entered the booth and placed his headphones back on. "Sorry about the interruption. Let's see who else is calling us tonight, our last night together. Hello, caller!"

"Are you bloody daft? You _missed_ my party!" Rebekah yelled into the phone, making Klaus pull his headphones off for a moment.

"Ah, callers, you have a _treat_. This is my _lovely_ sister, Rebekah calling. How are you, Frustrated Bekah!" he called to his sister.

"You…" Rebekah growled. "Don't you try shaming me, on-air. For all of you who listen to my big brother's program, you know he is a mean, arrogant wanker. And now you forgot my party and everyone else forgot too and now I am at home with a cake and decorations and there were going to be games and no one came!" Rebekah began to cry, making Klaus feel guilty.

"We will make it up to you, Bekah, just not right now, I have to finish my show. Good night, sister." Klaus hung up and moved on to the next caller.

Klaus had been hoping that Caroline would call him and they could have one, last argument on-air but she did not. Hanging up for the last time, Klaus addressed his listeners. "Good night, my Lonely Souls, I hope that you find a light in that vast darkness."

Getting to his feet, Klaus placed Hope on his hip and walked out of the studio. He ran into Marcel who was packing up his things in a hurry. "I trust you heard the program," he told a panicked Marcel.

"Yeah. I've got to get home before Rebekah freaks out and goes shopping. She's going to bankrupt me, man." Marcel took off out of the studio.

Walking through the studio, Klaus knocked on Damon's door before entering his boss' office. "Damon, you'll be relieved to know that I'm done for the night and will be out of your hair –" Klaus suddenly stopped speaking when he noticed that Damon was busy with a brunette girl, atop his desk. "I see you're busy."

Klaus started to leave when Damon called after him. "Klaus, wait! I wanted to say that you'll be missed," he told Klaus who smirked back at him.

"Thank you, Damon. That's kind of you to say," Klaus replied.

"I'm not saying, I'm going to miss you. I'm saying there are people who will miss you. I'm just the messenger," Damon said with a smile, smacking Klaus on his free arm. "Hey, is this the kid? Hi there, cutie!"

Hope giggled at Damon while Klaus glanced at Damon's friend. "You look familiar; have we met?" Klaus asked the woman who shook her head. She looked just like Katerina, only with straight hair.

"No. I don't think so," she said with a smile. "Damon, can I have a Diet Pepsi?" she asked with a pout.

"Sure, babe, be right back," Damon told the woman who waved good-bye.

Klaus stood in the doorway, feeling awkward when the Katerina _doppleganger_ came up to him. "I'm Elena Gilbert," she told him, holding out a hand.

" _Really_? You look so much like another woman my brother, Elijah, is seeing," Klaus told her.

"I've been told I look like other girls," Elena told him with a laugh. "Just between us girls," she whispered. "I've been told I looked like a girl named Katerina, Tatia, Amara. So many different girls. It's kind of weird," she said with a giggle. "But if I were Katerina, I would say that Elijah is a kind man but we were not to be. I could not live my life with a man who loved another. And Damon is fun."

Damon returned with "Elena's" Pepsi. "Ready to go?" he asked and Elena nodded.

"It was nice to meet you, Klaus, you are a funny man," Elena called with a wink and then she walked away with Damon.

Klaus wondered if he should call Hayley and warn her that Elijah would not be marrying "Katerina" and then thought better of it. Let her find out on her own. Walking back down the hall, he began to tell Hope of their plans for the next day. "We're going to go to the park and feed the ducks and then we're going to visit your Auntie Bekah, to make up for tonight," he was saying when Hope interrupted him.

"Caro!" she cried, pointing ahead of Klaus to a tall, blonde who was peering inside his booth. "Caro! Caro!" Hope sang loudly, attracting the woman's attention.

"Caroline," Klaus greeted the blonde whose lips turned upward into a bright smile.

"Klaus, I was hoping to run into you," Caroline replied. She set down a box on the floor, beside the door to his former booth.

"I was hoping that you would call tonight," Klaus told her, coming to stand in front of her.

"I planned to but then I was going to surprise you by coming to the studio. Then there was a traffic accident and I was running late. When I saw the booth, with the lights out, I thought I missed you. But here you are," Caroline said with a laugh.

"Here I am," Klaus said. "Did you want to get a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah. But if you don't mind, I was going to go put this up," Caroline collected her box and then pulled out a set of keys.

"Oh," Klaus watched Caroline unlock the door to his former booth. "So you're taking over. What are you planning on calling your program?" he asked, following her into the booth and watching her place her things on his old desk.

"I was thinking, if you don't mind, that I would continue to call the program Lonely Souls. Only I'll be _nicer_ to the callers. It's just, I always liked the title of the program and you weren't always mean to people. And you didn't always give bad advice," she admitted.

Klaus chuckled. "If it means so much to you, then I suppose you could use the name," he told her.

Caroline glanced up at Klaus with a smirk. "Thanks," she retorted. "You're _so_ generous. Now, who is this beautiful, little girl?"

"This my daughter, Hope," Klaus told her.

"I didn't know you had a daughter," Caroline replied, taking one of Hope's hands and smiling when Hope leaned toward her. Klaus watched the blonde woman take his daughter and smiled down at the two.

"There are many things you don't know about me," Klaus replied.

Caroline grinned up at him. "And I'm looking forward to learning them all."

 **One year later:**

"Good evening, my Lonely Souls. This is Caroline Forbes and I am your host for tonight. And we have a special guest with us. You might remember him from a _thousand_ years ago, Klaus Mikaelson, give him a hand," Caroline began to clap while Klaus laid a hand on her knee and leaned toward the speaker.

"Hello, my Lonely Souls. Yes, I am back. My lovely wife, Caroline, poked and prodded and begged and all sorts of nonsense that she told me not to tell you that she did to get me down here –" Klaus stopped when Caroline stuck her elbow in his rib cage.

"Thank you, Klaus, _inappropriate_ as ever," Caroline laughed, slapping him on the shoulder when he yanked her onto his lap. "Klaus, not right now!" she shrieked.

"Sorry, listeners, we're still on our honeymoon," Klaus called into the microphone, causing Caroline to laugh louder. "Now, you sorry saps, tell us your problems while Caroline tries to solve them, poor girl."

When the program was over, Caroline got to her feet, straightening her skirt and kissing Klaus' forehead. "We have dinner with Elijah and Hayley at seven. Then we're supposed to pick up Maria and Shawn from Bekah's. Freya called and said she and Jack are on their way to Brazil, but will be back in a week. Hope has the hiccups according to Kol and she gave them to him. Yup. That's all we have to do for the night," Caroline said, closing out the notes on her phone and turning to Klaus who was smiling contentedly.

"What are you grinning like that for?" Caroline asked, sitting back down in Klaus' lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm happy," Klaus told her, leaning over and kissing her passionately.

"Not lonely anymore?" Caroline asked, kissing him back.

"No, I haven't been lonely since you came into my life," Klaus said, running a finger along her cheek.

"Mr. Mikaelson, who knew you were such a sap," Caroline whispered into his ear, running her hands through his hair.

"You did, love," Klaus whispered back. "Now, have we christened the booth yet?"

Caroline shook her head with a wide grin. "You have one hour before we're going to be late to dinner," she informed him, consulting the clock on the wall.

"They can wait. After all I had to wait for you, didn't I?" Klaus asked, not waiting for an answer before he got up and switched out the light in the booth. Caroline giggled in the darkness of the booth as two-not-so-lonely souls came together in the place they first met.

 **The End**

 **I hope you enjoyed the story.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest review:**

 **Nikmik: I hope you enjoyed their meeting. I know it was a long time coming.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


End file.
